Why a registered nurse (RN) in the OR? The perioperative registered nurse role--a well kept secret

The above description of the circulating Registered Nurse is only a brief over view of the detailed and complex world of perioperative nursing. Unveiling the vital, "well kept secret", of the need for a Registered Nurse, circulating at all times throughout the surgical procedure, is critical for safe patient care. The health care system is responsible, and accountable to the public, for the provision of a hospital environment that is safe for all patients and personnel. The operating theatre is the prime unit of care, in the OR, and must have the resources in the room to fully complete the intended surgery and to prepare for changes and complications that may arise. The critical thinking, clinical decision making, systems approach, and reflective high-level practice, creates a requirement that the circulating role must be filled by a Registered Nurse. A skilled perioperative Registered Nurse must be in charge of each theatre, any group of theatres, each OR shift and the OR Department. Every perioperative nurse needs to explain, be proud of, and to market the importance of the role outside the walls of the OR to the "world".